Today, light-weight cargo loads are typically transported in pickup trucks and in panel trucks, which often are referred to as vans. Pickup trucks have an enclosed cab in which a driver and passengers may be seated side-by-side. An open top, cargo bay bed extends rearwardly from the cab. This bed is partially bordered by two sides and a tailgate. Panel trucks or vans, on the other hand, have their cargo bays completely enclosed. Thus, they have fixed sides and a top that coextend from those of the cab. The rear ends of their cargo bays are typically closed by doors.
Each of the just described types of motor vehicles has its own attributes and its own limitations. Pickup trucks are quite versatile in their ability to carry loads of varying configurations which may protrude above the height of the cab and from the rear of the truck with the tailgate either in an upright or horizontal position. Since their cargo spaces or bays are open to ambience, they may be readily loaded and unloaded from both sides and from the rear of the truck. Panel trucks, however, have the attribute of a completely closed cargo bay which provides security, privacy and shelter from adverse weather. On the other hand, they may not be loaded as readily or carry loads that are larger than their carbo bays.
Since both pickup trucks and vans have their own attributes, which heretofore have often been mutually exclusive, it would be advantageous to devise a truck which possesses the attributes of both. Accordingly, it is to the provision of such a vehicle, which herein is termed a "pickup van", that the present invention is primarily directed.